There is a quiet courage in choosing the devout life, especially in a world that moves in the opposite direction. To those who have known the ache of being misunderstood, who struggle to hold together a life of prayer and a life of responsibility, who desire holiness not in the cloister but in the home, the workplace, and the unseen corners of ordinary life-this book is a companion.

Though written in the early seventeenth century, the truth of this work has not changed: The call to live for God will always demand the same honesty, perseverance, and love. Yet, in these pages, St. Francis de Sales shows that devotion is not an escape from life, as some skeptics might believe, but rather a way of entering it more fully, with a heart made free.

This new translation of Introduction to the Devout Life by Anthony K. Irvine seeks to honor the wisdom of the saint by offering a voice more accessible to today's reader, while remaining faithful to the depth and clarity of the original.